It was before school hours. I decided to go to the chapel to ask God to help me through the day. I heard faintly what sounded like his voice, the one that came to me in dreams; but I thought my mind was deceiving me, so I continued praying. Then, his voice, so harmonious and startling, echoed throughout those sacred walls. I turned, and half expected me to have imagined it. But there, dressed fully in black with a black cape on his right shoulder, stood the man who matched that in my dreams. On his face lay a mask as black as night, covering what I assumed to be the deformed face that has caused many to draw back in fear. He sang clear and beautifully those words sung by Don Juan:
You have come here
In pursuit of your deepest urge
In pursuit of that wish which till now
Has been silent..silent
I have brought you
That our passions may fuse and merge
In your mind you've already succumb to me
Dropped all defenses, completely succumb to me
Now you are here with me. No second thoughts
You've decided..decided.
At that very moment, I was startled by the doors slamming shut on their own. I panicked. I had no idea of what to do next. Before I could even give it a second thought, I had dashed to those doors and put my quivering hands on top of the ice cold door handles. Locked. Trapped. I slowly turned around, realizing that he was singing The Point of No Return. He gradually made his way around me, then startled me by holding me in a tight embrace from behind. He had one hand around my neck, the other upon my stomach. Suddenly, I felt relaxed as though with his very touch I sensed safety and security in those arms. He gradually led me to where one of the side doors was, but I let go, second guessing whether this was the man who I so long awaited. As I turned, my eyes met his and I knew….The Phantom of the Opera is there inside my mind.
I joined him in song, singing as best I could from my heart, in pursuit of winning his. In unison we walked, and in between us was long row of benches that went to the front of the chapel. We neared what seemed to be the end of the immeasurable row of benches, and facing one another and singing in harmony, we slowly made our way towards each other. Once face to face, we grasped tightly onto one other's arms, and he spun me around to where I was once again in that gentle yet strong embrace. In a moment, he was about to sing the final part of our strange duet. This, I knew, would be a test: a test of whether I would betray him by revealing the repulsive carcass beneath that mask, or not doing so, thus showing I loved him for his music and the man within. He turned me around. The moment of truth had come.
I hesitated, and after running countless questions through my mind, I did not remove the mask from his face. The beauty within was far more worth seeing than the loathsome gargoyle that lay externally. He now gave me a smile so heartwarming I am surprised I didn't just faint. Instead, I returned the smile. He then slowly, gently led me to his desolate darkness, behind the castle in the front of the chapel. After living a life where nothing seemed to be right, this…this was the proof that everyone had a purpose. And mine was to see his loneliness, share in his emptiness and hear as the outcast hears.